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THE 



OAKLAND GHOST 



AND 



ANCIENT PHENOMENA, 



WITH A REVIEW OF THE 



OAKLAND COMMITTEE, 



BY 



THOMAS BROWNELL CLARKE, 

SAN FRANCISCO, CAL. 




6 5 \ ■ 



PRICE, TWENTY-FIVE CENTS. 



^ 



Horatio — " Look, my lord, it comes !" iN— ' v 

Hamlet — " Angels and ministers of grace defend us !" 
Ghost — ' ' Mark me ! 

Pity me not, but lend thy serious hearing 

To what I shall unfold. 

I am thy father's spirit, 

Doom'd for a certain term to walk the night, 

And for the day confined to fast in fires, 1 

'Till the foul crimes done in my days of nature, 

Are burnt and purged away. 

But, that I am forbid 

To tell the secrets of my prison house, 

I could a tale unfold, whose lightest word 

Would harrow up thy soul; freeze thy young blood, 

Make thy two eyes, like stars, start from their spheres, 

And each particular hair to stand on end 

Like quills upon the fretful porcupine; 

But this eternal blazon must not be 

To ears of flesh and blood. 

List, list, O list! 

If thou didst ever thy dear father love; 

'Tis given out, that, sleeping in my orchard, 

A serpent stung me; but know thou noble youth, 

The serpent that did sting thy father's life 

Now wears a crown." 



In this brief extract we have a complete synopsis of mod- 
ern spiritualism — 

First — The fact of spirit materialization; 
Second — A condition of suffering for sin after death; 
Third — Progression of the soul by purification; 
Fourth — A knowledge of the acts of men in this world by 
men passed on to the spirit life. 



"The fool hath said in his heart there is no God." 
"Whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap. 



Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1877, 

By Thomas Brownell Clarke, 

In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C. 



PREFACE. 



The following account of manifestations at my residence 
in Oakland, Cal., April, 1874, was written while the scenes 
were vividly fixed in my memory. 

At that time, speaking in general terms, myself and 
family were entirely ignorant of modern spiritualism. 

I write this, that this phenomena may in great measure 
remain, as when it came upon the material plane, and not 
because I am vain to advertise my ignorance. 

We* endeavored to keep the matter secret, not wishing 
notoriety from our connection with an unsolved phe- 
nomena; but it having been made public through the 
papers, could then do no less than to tell the honest truth. 
Afterwards, we consented to an investigation of each and 
every witness, as to all they had seen or heard, by three gen- 
tlemen who were supposed to be honest and capable. 
That it was possible that there could have been fraud or 
deception in any manner, never for a moment entered our 
minds; and the first intimation, that we, or anybody had 
attempted it, was upon reading the summary of this com- 
mittee, which we shall investigate in the after part of this 
pamphlet. 

Our experience is not unlike all history; that while 
falsehood and iniquity travel upon the wings of light- 
ning, truth has to travel on foot; but which like the tor- 
toise, yet ever wins the race. The stigma of fraud heaped 
upon me and mine by the committee, has been like the 
deep snow upon the early fall grain. Its very venom has 
protected us amid the wintry blasts of slander. Even in 
the short three years that have past, hosts have risen in all 
parts of our world, to bless, that but for this miserable 
verdict, would never have known of us. 



From the golden shore of the Pacific, it has gone out, 
that there is one man, at least, whose soul is not so warped 
by the garments of superstition, but that he dares speak 
God's eternal truth, without fear or hope of reward. Be- 
sides the truth, the phenomena stands out every day more 
and more wonderful, and of greater importance to the hu- 
man family. My house, during these three years, has been 
an open one, receiving all that came, from the poorest to 
the wealthiest, the ignorant and the learned; and of all the 
thousands, 1 have never known one to go away, without 
having been lifted higher, towards that ''home not made 
with hands." If the Oakland committee were so deceived 
with the idea of infallibility of those in high places, that 
they thought their word would be taken in free America, 
in place of evidence, they made a most serious mistake. 

lam aware, that truth outside of fashionable institutions, 
has had a hard time in past ages; also, that for a clergy- 
man or scientist, or counsellor, to admit that there existed 
certain facts which they could not explain, has caused 
many a thousand in high position, to deny his manhood, 
rather than be honest. Humility is not a quality of the 
pulpit or university; hence the private individual that 
enunciated facts or ideas beyond their knowledge, has 
universally met persecution at their hands. 

Socrates walked the streets of Athens, teaching with 
wisdom, which the priests and workers in brass, saw 
would ruin their occupation; hence he drank the hemlock. 
Jesus, who went from village to village " the friend of pub- 
licans and sinners," doing good unto all, had the misfor- 
tune to be an honest man, and candidly told the priests of 
the Jewish church of their iniquity ; hence suffered a cruel 
death. Voltaire, who supported a Protestant church upon 
his estate, died in the city of Paris from excitement, caused 
by an ovation, such as few mortals have ever received, has 
been slandered beyond any man that ever lived, because 
he exposed the iniquity of the Catholic priesthood. 

John Wesley, for a life of over sixty hard working years, 
suffered one continued persecution from the church of 
England, because he exposed its errors and from his fol- 
lowers, because he would not leave the Episcopal church, 
form a new sect, and as they thought, be honored by be- 
coming a Methodist bishop. 

Thomas Paine, the friend of Washington, Lafayette, 
Adams, Hancock, Jefferson, and all the old patriots whom 
we now adore, gave his great powers as a writer, enlisted 



as a soldier, served as a statesman. When Washington's 
army was without food or clothing, the treasury empty, 
the convention adjourned in despair, he headed a sub- 
scription with all he had in the world, then begged of 
others, until at last this private subscription amounted to 
over one million five hundred thousand dollars; thus be- 
ing the means of saving our army — our country, in which 
to-day, we may worship God according to the dictates of 
our own conscience. He has been vilified by the recip- 
ients of his sacrifice, his energy, his hope in " one right- 
eous and perfect God, with equal and exact justice to all 
men,' 7 because he was a man of courage and honesty, dar- 
ing to say what he believed true. These are but a few of 
the great host, that have lived martyrs to principal; and 
while the great lights of the passing hour of their day — 
floating like butterflies in the noon-day sunbeams — have 
passed from remembrance with the fleeting breath of the 
physical, these, and others like them, true to the honesty 
of the inner soul, true to their fellow-men, true to their 
God, still live; and though there were no spiritual life 
hereafter, there is yet guaranteed to these honest men, an 
eternal life. Life is one great mystery. To perfect it, 
there seems a hidden necessity of trial, to develop the 
power and greatness of the soul, to bring it from its dark- 
ness, as the beautiful flowers come forth from the darkness 
of earth, that it may bloom, bear fruit, and give evidence 
of its divine origin. 

Whatever has happened or may happen to me, I have 
the great misfortune to be living in an age of reason. 
There is therefore, no possibility that I shall be deified, 
or even sainted, or that greater honor than either, burned 
for witchcraft. Notwithstanding, I have no aspirations for 
any of these honors; I shall nevertheless, send this little 
messenger of truth regarding this wonderful phenomena, 
as " bread upon the waters" of eternal life, towards which 
it points, trusting it in the hands of the unnumbered hosts 
on the " evergreen shore," who planned, and carried these 
manifestations of their hidden life and power, into a suc- 
cessful execution. 

At some future time, I may write of what millions of 
the earth now know, of that ' ' ever green shore, " those ' * man- 
sions not made with hands," those cities more beautiful 
than the one of precious stones; that life that does honor 
to the God who hath given it, granting to it immortality, 
that sometime, on in eternal years, by its own labor, it 



6 

may be entitled to a home with the angelic host, far be- 
yond all material worlds — the eternal home of angels. 

For the present, I have to deal with mortals in the bond- 
age of ancient heathenism, superstition and bigotry; but 
before we close this little book, we shall endeavor to do 
them justice; and if, like the guilty criminal who said to 
the judge " that was what I feared," and they shall be 
troubled thereby, they must remember that the gate of 
eternal life was opened wide, that they might behold the 
glory which they refused. Therefore eternal responsibili- 
ties rest upon me, and I also would prove myself a coward, 
if I neglected to give to the world this grand immortal 
truth. 

T. B. CLAKKE. 



Account of Manifestations. 



That the reader may form an intelligent idea of the man- 
ifestation, it will be necessary first to give a brief decription 
of the house and its occupants. It is a one and a half 
story house, situated in Oakland, Cal. The first floor has 
five rooms — the second four. The house for a number of 
years previous to becoming my residence, had been occu- 
pied by a purely orthodox family. No murders had ever 
been committed within its walls at the time previous of these 
manifestations. Myself, wife and son of eight years, occu- 
pied as private room, one in the ell opening from the dining 

room, Mrs. F and sister and my daughter, the two 

front rooms in the second story; Mr. B and Mr. O 

the two in the rear. The evening in question, April 23d, 

1874, the family had been at home as usual. Mr. B and 

Mr. O had been at a neighbor's and did not return 

until quarter past 11 o'clock. Having retired, but hearing 
them come in, I requested them to lock the doors and put out 
the lights. When the gentlemen had been up stairs about 
15 minutes, I heard a noise that seemed to be at the front 
door as though the gong upon it had been lightly struck. 
I went immediately there, but found no one. I closed the 
door and returned to bed. Hardly had I laid down, before 
that same noise was repeated, but much louder; again I 
went to the door as before, and found no one — I stepped 
out on the porch, it being a bright moonlight night, looked 
in all directions for any one who could have rung the bell, 
but saw no one, and so returned in doors — as I did so I 

spoke to Mr. B whose room was at the head of the 

stairs, asking him if he was making any noise with his 
clock. He replied, no — and asked who is ringing that 
bell — I replied, that is what I wish to know. Immediately 
he came rushing down the stairs with pistol in hand, and 
said, "that is some boy's work" and out of the door he went 
and around the house, but found no boy. When he came 



8 

in, we had quite a conversation as to who had been the 
cause of this sound, and its peculiar tone — but had to give 
up any solution and again retired; but a few moments, 
and there was a tremendous shaking of furniture in the 
dining room, as though some one was rattling the upright 

piano that stood there. Mr. B hearing this same noise, 

pistol in hand came rushing down. We met to see no one, 
and were still more astonished than ever. While again 

talking over this additional mystery, Mr. B walked into 

the hall, and when opposite the parlor door, he exclaimed 
in an excited manner "Clarke, bring alight, quick!" I was 

there in about one second, when Mr. B rushed over 

behind the sofa, and then to the bay window. Finding one 
fastening unclasped, he said "That fellow has gone out at 
the window." Turning around, and seeing a small reception 
chair lying in the centre of the parlor, I said, ' ' How came 

that there?" B replied " I know nothing about it, I 

did not touch it, but there was a man struck me on the 
back when I called you " This made things worse than 
ever — bells ringing — furniture rattling, being struck on 
the shoulder, chairs thrown in the middle of the room, and 
no one to do it. Our astonishment is better imagined than 
described — Meantime I had dressed myself, lighted some 
lamps; the people above were aroused and conversation as 
to who or what was doing these things became general. 
A.s the unseen and unknown could not be explained, we 
again retired to our separate rooms. But a few moments 
had elapsed before we heard a loud rattling noise in the 
parlor, as though ten bundles of sheet iron had been 
slammed down on the floor. In about two seconds I was 
there, and only found the blower lying in the centre of the 
room. The gentlemen hearing the noise came rushing 
from their rooms, with "What made that noise?" My 
daughter who had slipped on a morning dress and come 
from her room, stood talking to the gentlemen, each of 
whom had a lamp in his hand; I was standing in the hall 
below; she started to come down stairs, and when about 
two thirds down Mr. B saw a basket ^of silver belong- 
ing to him, valued at about three hundred dollars, rise 
from a bureau standing in the extreme end of the hall. 
He instantly exclaimed, ' 'Take care, Nellie !" Having some 
instinctive knowledge of danger, she screamed, and turned 
the newel post just in time to escape the basket, that com- 
ing down in a half circle, as it had to from its position, to 
strike where it did and fell with a thud on the floor at the 



9 

foot of the stairs. All suposed the silver ruined as a mat- 
ter of course; 1 picked up the basket and contents and 
carried them to the dining room, where we all assembled 
to examine, which we did, piece by piece, finding no injury 
on coffee or tea pots, creamer or bowl, spoons or forks. 
Save, only one very thin silver vase which was slightly 
bruised. 

Presently Mr. O went outside to take in a little 

fresh air, whereby to strengthen his nerves, leaving 
the balance of us wondering how it was possible for that 
silver to come with such velocity a distance of twenty feet, 
strike so hard and not all be ruined. While thus discuss- 
ing and wondering, we heard a noise in Mr. O 's room, 

directly over us as though a person was jumping with all 

his might upon the floor. Mr. B and myself rushed 

up into the room, but found no one— neither anything 

disturbed. While there, Mr. came in and up to 

his room — walked to a chair, in which lay a towel mussed 
into a bunch. He picked up the towel as though to wipe 
his hands; as he did so. he, as well as we, discovered his 
watch and chain lying in the chair. His amazement can- 
not well be described. He exclaimed, "How came that 
watch in the chair?" ' 'I said, I suppose you placed it there." 
"Placed it there ? I left it in my waistcoat on the bed." 
We expressed our doubts. He again said, "I tell you I 
left it with the chain run through the button hole, hooked 
back into the pocket, and on that bed." As he took the 

watch from the chair it sprang up clipping Mr. B on 

the elbow, so hard as to bring tears, and landed in the 
center of the bed. It now seemed that wonders would 
never cease, or any chance come to give us a night's rest. 
!3o we descended to the dining-room, and commenced 
an inquiry meeting as to the causes of these wonderful 
phenomena, but soon found this world's philosophy 
could not satisfy or explain. We found that the more 
we talked the less we said, and for once became wise 
and confessed ourselves fools in the midst of an unseen 
power. 

While thus meditating, for we had assumed that con- 
dition, one of the solid oak chairs rose about one foot, and 
with the velocity of a boy's top, went revolving across the 
room some ten feet, and sat down as still as though it had 

never moved. Mr. O made this sage remark, "I 

don't like this.' 7 Mr. B added, "Neither do I like a 

power that I cannot shoot." The rest of us thought if 




10 

there was any one that wished to be kept up nights to see 
this kind of fun, we wished they had it all; we were tired 
and had seen all the manifestations of the unseen we cared 
to. This manifestation, occurring in an illuminated room 
in the presence of four of us, violating every law of gravi- 
tation, propelling power, and cessation of power as well, 
for its stopping so suddenly and so absolutely still, was 
the most remarkable feature of it all. It left us in a state 
of bewilderment that made us doubt the reliability of our 
eye-sight. We felt that if God or the devil ever did come 
to earth to cut up pranks for their amusement, this must 
be the time and place. It would have been a good time 
for those superstitious people that believe the devil goes 
about doing all the evil in the world to have said their 
prayers. While still in the dining-room, there came a 
great crash in the hall ; we rushed to see what new devel- 
opment, and found a box 15x15 inches square, 6 deep, 
that had contained about twenty lbs. of coal, which stood 
in the upper hall, had been thrown over the baluster and 
down stairs. I picked up the box with what coal I could, 
and carried them to the kitchen . Then came another of 
our scientific discussions upon electrical, magnetic, nat- 
ural, supernatural, and occult forces. While thus en- 
gaged, another most frightful noise came from the parlor. 
Bushing in there, we found the same blower lying in the 
middle of the room bottom up, which, when I picked it 
up previously, I had placed on the hearth face downwards. 
Another ealm came, and as our philosophy seemed to have 
gone * 'where the woodbine twineth," in this new develop- 
ment of facts, we had about concluded that we did not 
know more about this than the Almighty, and so we did 
considerable thinking with little philosophical talk. 

Some had gone upstairs to tell the ladies what had hap- 
pened, and while thus talking, a large upholstered chair, 
standing in the hall near the ladies' door, went whirling 
around, and down in full view of all. Hardly was this 
new act well settled, before from the parlor came another 
racket. Upon going there we found the same small recep- 
tion chair that once before had been laid in the center of 
the room again lying in the same place. In the mean 
time the family had assembled in the dining-room, dis- 
cussing this annoying phenomena. While thus engaged, 
to our utter amazement, another heavy oak chair rose and 
spinning like a top, crossed the room in a contrary direc- 
tion from the previous one; again, with amazement, we 



11 

looked at each other, tried to talk, but the subject was too 
vast. It threw all our philosophy in the shade. It now 

being about one o clock, Mr. B had taken his lamp in 

his hand, and standing in the hall door leaning against 
the casing said, "Well, I am going to bed, and I won't 
get up again if they take the end of the house out." No 
quicker had the words ceased than a large upholstered 
chair rose a few inches, and spinning around, fell out in 
the middle of the room. Mr. B closed this demon- 
stration with the remark, "Well, that beats the devil." 
Of course this was a bad starter to go to bed upon, and so 
we camped in the dining-room again, for some new devel- 
opment; for this last feat of handling a forty-pound chair like 
a feather, rather beat any previous ideas we had obtained on 
this mundane sphere. About that time, if we had only 
had the knowledge that I have so often heard displayed 
since, how nicely we could have all retired to rest — just 
this and nothing more. "Oh, this whole thing is a hum- 
bug, a delusion, a wicked fraud." Yes; but we were so 
stupid we could not see the humbug; but we did see the 
chairs go, and the man that says we did not is a liar, a 
knave and a fool. After a while, wearied with this non- 
sensical display, as it appeared to us, of legerdemain 
by an unseen power, peace and quiet seeming to have 
come again, we retired to our various rooms in hopes 
to get a little rest. We were hardly there, however, 
when the whole house was shaken, as by a wave of the sea 

against a ship. Mr. B came rushing out, and calling, 

"Oh, Clarke, was that an earthquake?" I replied, "no"; for 
to me it had none of the uplifting sensations of an earth- 
quake. While we were talking of this new phenomena, 
heavy raps began all over the house, which continued for, 
some minutes, appearing to some to be inside the house, 
and to the others outside. A general levee was now held in 
the ladies' room, discussing this new demonstration, which 
became more and more beyond the explanation or com- 
prehension of man according to anything of physical laws, 
at present, known and accepted by the philosophical teach- 
ers of this or any other age. It may well be imagined 
that to a sleepy household at that time of night, the novelty 
soon wore off, and again we had scattered in various parts 
of the house with the determination not to get up again, 
come whatever might. Hardly had I lain down when I 
heard a few low, sharp raps, appearing to be in the dining 
room. Mrs. C also heard k the same, and noticed 



12 

them because of their peculiar sound. In a few moments 
more, we heard the same kind of raps, and held conversa- 
tion as to cause, &c. As I had made up my mind not to 
be disturbed by this to me apparent nonsense any more, I 
declined to get up, or even look to see the cause, and, 
therefore, remained lying on the bed. For a while every- 
thing remained quiet, and we felt encouraged that peace 
had again come to our household — but not so — in a few 
minutes there came a crashing sound from the parlor, as 
though some one was making kindling wood of the furni- 
ture. The ladies directly overhead, remarked, * 'There 
goes over that marble-top table in the parlor, and every- 
thing upon it is ruined." This crushing noise brought me 
out in about one second, and the gentleman downstairs 
in the same time. The gentleman found, lying in the 
center of the parlor that same reception chair, for the third 
time — this time a long shawl, that had been folded and ly- 
ing in the parlor, was opened and spread very carefully 
over the chair. Two large upholstered chairs had been 
turned around and laid on their backs— the same blower 
was again laid in the center of the room. As I came from 
the room, rushing to see what had made this infernal 
noise in the parlor, I was stopped in the dining-room by 
my eyes discovering a dining chair, face down, lying upon 
one end of the table. Upon further examination I found 
another dining chair laid upon its side; but that which 
beat our electrical theory was, to find a small goblet I had 
drank out of only a short time before, and sat down where 
the chair now lay, had been moved to the other end of the 
table, and turned bottom up. There seemed to be no end 
to the diversity of demonstrations. No crotchety theatri- 
cal visitor could have found fault with our variety, how- 
ever severely he might have criticised the manner or un- 
reasonableness of the play. Being tired of the play, and 
putting things to rights, which had been my occupation 
now about two hQurs, I said publicly, for the benefit of 
these unseen powers, that I should put up no more furni- 
ture, and as they seemed not disposed to do harm, they 
could go on and throw around as much as they pleased ; 
but that I should put things to rights no more, and thus I 
left the furniture as it lay. Again we assembled in the 
invalid's room above, and had our usual chat as to what 
and who and how; and oh, what wisdom we then and there 
displayed. Calm continued, and as morning was drawing 
near, all well tired out one by one, we scattered with the 



13 

remark, "Well,, I guess the thing is over, and must try to 
get some sleep," and again in our individual rooms were 
remaining in quiet with a prospect of peace, and a chance 
to obtain some little rest But not so, however; in a few 
moments there came the sound of a terrible crash in the 

hall that seemed as though Mr. B 's request had been 

granted, and the end of the house had been torn bodily 
away. As quick as thought I was in the front hall. The 
two gentlemen made their appearance at the top of the 
stairs about the same time. We found the front door had 
been lifted or removed from its hinges without withdraw- 
ing the bolt, and now stood leaning against the newel 
post, and we had the opportunity of looking upon a beau 
tiful moonlight through where the door ought to be. This 
was no dark seance, and at 2 o'clock, the morning of 
April 24th, 1874, six full-grown people sat on the stairs, 
or stood in the hall hardly knowiug whether they were in 
the house or out of doors. Locks, baits, and even the 
door itself seemed no impediment to this power. I had 
previously said that I would put no more things to rights ; 
but we concluded we would. So we hung the door back 

upon its hinges. As we did so, Mr. B remarked, "As 

they have plenty of room to go out now, whoever or what- 
ever they or it may be, I hope they will leave and give us 
a chance to rest, and to our great surprise there was no 
more disturbance for the balance of this night or morning 
as you please to call it. Thus ended the first act of occult 
demonstrations in the "Clarke Mansion," much to the 
gratification of the inhabitants. 

The morning of the 24th, Mr. B arose about half past 

6 o'clock, and went over to his place r.cross the street to at- 
tend to personal business matters. My daughter came 
down stairs soon after and went into the parlor, then came 
and requested that we would let the furniture remain, as 
she wished to go and invite a neighbor to come in and see 
what had been done, and passed out; very soon after we 

heard considerable noise. Mrs. C went to the kitchen 

and questioned the boy as to whether or not he had upset 
a table or made noise otherwise — finding nothing she re- 
turned; when immediately Miss B came in and said, 

"Why, you didn't tell me that the sofa had been turned 
over " To which I replied neithor has it; " Oh yes it has, 
and lies flat on its back. " Upon going into the parlor, surely 
enough we found not only the sofa wheeled around in 
front of the grate, and then laid on its back; but also found 



u 

that a zinc safe that weighed eleven pounds, had been taken 
from a whatnot and placed upon the back of one of the 
chairs that had been thrown down the night before; also 
three books taken from many on the whatnot and laid 
down on the floor; also a pair of gloves that lay on the 
whatnot, were lying side by side on the floor; also a 
small wooden puzzle had been moved from the whatnot to the 
middle of the room. A paper covered book, "Lucelle," was 
standing on end among the sundries, thus completing the 
morning demonstrations. At about \ past 7 o'clock, my 
daughter returned with her friends to see the midnight 
orgies, but was much astonished to see the new display 
of furniture scattered about the floor. Another convention 
of scientists was had, including our outside friends, which 
discussion culminated in eating our breakfast, enjoining 

secrecy upon all within the house. Mrs. C having an 

old long tried friend living near by, wished to allow 
the things to remain until she could invite him down to 
see them ; especially as the gentleman was one of our best 
men and a reverend deacon. By some oversight the young 
man that came with my daughter was not told to keep 
silent on this scene, so that while we three gentlemen of 
the household passed to San Francisco in silence about the 
matter, this young man thought it a good joke, and going 
over on the boat told a few friends about it. From this 
the story spread; About 12 o'clock, I was requested to en- 
lighten a gentleman in regard to it, but turned the subject 
by telling him that he was ' 'sold" by some one and passed on. 
About 2 o'clock a reporter called to get particulars; I did 
not wish to exactly lie, and neither could I imagine how 
the rumor had got about town. I said to the reporter that 
it was true that a few chairs moved quite singularly, that 
I supposed that would be the last of it, and I hoped they 
would not give it public notice. Lest I should be visited 
by other reporters, I immedialely left for Oakland. The 
San Francisco Chronicle having heard of the rumor, and 
as it calls itself a " live paper." could not bear to go to 
press without improvement of the opportunity for such a 
"stunning" sensational article. Consequently one of their 
reporters who had a most vivid imagination, wrote a two 
column article in regard to dancing of silver ware, crockery, 
furniture, ringing of bells, etc, at the "Clarke mansion," 
in Oakland, which article appearing on the morning of the 
25th, and as might have been expected, set the two towns 
in a perfect uproar, discussing the " Oakland Ghost.*' 



15 

Eeturned to our residence, as we were assembled around 
the dinner-table the afternoon of the 24th, a very stout 
friend of us all, entered, and was admitted immediately to 
the dining-room and welcomed with an "enlarged smile," 
for we well knew the occasion of his appearance at that 
hour of the day. Very soon after being seated, he re- 
marked, "Well you do not look like a set of crazy people," 
" Now tell me what this all means." Of course he was soon 
told, and left for his own residence merely with the request 
that if any more demonstrations were made, to send for 
him, as he had a great desire to see some such wonder of 
which he had heard and read from time to time. Confess- 
ing to being somewhaf nervous in regard to these manifest- 
ations, as I have since learned the spiritualists call them, a 
lamp was placed in each room of the house. The family 
remained the same as the previous night, except that I 
had sent our little boy in the country, lest the ghost should 
come again and disturb his youthful nervous condition. 

Mr. had gone out to spend the evening and did not 

return until quite late. The family were scattered as usual. 
At about half past eight, while we were sitting in the din- 
ing-room my daughter remarked that after the previous 
wakeful night, she felt tired and thought she would retire. 
When she was about half way up stairs, recollecting the 
scene of the basket of silver coming at her the night before, 
I said jokingly, " Nellie, look out for your head," she re- 
plied "Oh! it is not time for them to begin yet." Instant- 
ly a large upholstered chair standing at the head of the 
stairs, went revolving and lay down across the stairway 
preventing her getting up. I came to the rescue immedi- 
ately and picking up the chair put it again in its place. 
Again we had assembled to wonder, for all theories were ex- 
ploded in our minds; we just thought this thing beat the 
devil, and let our philosophy end there. The ladies be- 
came very much excited, much more so than on the pre- 
vious night, and especialy Mrs. F who declared that 

she could not live through another such night of horror as 
the previous one, especially as this had commenced so 
early. During our rambling conversation of what had 
been, and what we must do, especially in regard to Mrs. 

F ,Mr. B came from his room and went out doors. 

While my family were in the dining-room talking of these 
things, our condition, what to do, etc., there came another 
crash as though a dozen chairs had been crushed in pieces 
in the hall. As I reached the foot of the stairs I found 



16 

one of a set of reception chairs that had been standing in 
the hall above. Upon examination, though a very delicate 
chair, I found no injury, not even a scratch; I then wished 
to go for our stout friend, but the ladies all said no, you 

must not leave us alone. So I waited for Mr. B who 

soon came in, and while we were all standing near the head 
of the stairs my daughter stepped a short distance into 

Mr. O 's room and while there said, "If any furniture 

is going to jump around in this house to night, I wish it 
would do it now and be done." Hardly had she done 
speaking when the chairs went flying around that room, of 
their particular direction we did not know. But the 
young lady vacated those premises exceedingly lively. 
I then left for our stout friend, who I found at the City 
Hall. He with four others returned with me to the 
" Haunted house," where we found everything had been 
quiet during my absence. These gentlemen after sitting 
for about half an hour began to get quite discouraged, and 
were about to leave, when much to their joy a rattling was 
heard at the top of the stairs. Upon examination we found 
that the large upholstered chair had been going through 
its, what now seemed to be, accustomed evolutions, and 
again laid down on the floor. This made matters look in- 
teresting to our visitors, however it might be death to us. 
With cheerful faces they began to await new developments. 
It was but a few moments when came another crash in the 
hall. One of the gentlemen exclaiming, " There is a chair 
crushed all to pieces." Upon examination they found a 
duplicate of the chair that had previously been thrown 
over the balusters and down at the foot of the stairs en- 
tirely uninjured. Upon further examination they found 
that when it came over it struck the wall with such force 
as to make two indentations in the plastering with the two 
hind legs. These gentlemen being interested in the nom- 
inations then being made in the City Hall, thought best 
to leave. But said they might return after they had finish- 
ed their business. We feeling that we had seen enough 
of this power, said to the gentlemen as they left, that we 
hoped that they would take our spirit friends, or whatever 
it might be with them and give us a chance to get a little 
rest. To our great and agreeable surprise this w T as the 
last manifestation of the night, and though watching the 
entire night no more demonstrations came. 

The sensational article appearing in the Chronicle of the 
25th, created so much excitement, that our residence was 



17 

surrounded by hundreds of curious people, looking at the 
"haunted house," during the entire day. Friends came 
and went, wondering how and who, or by what power had 
these things been done. The " Oakland Ghost" became 
the general theme of conversation. 

Having remained at home, I was visited by the Chronicle 
reporter who had written this article, based on rumor; who 
not finding me in town, had procured a letter of introduc- 
tion from a friend, and came for further information. See- 
ing that I was already notorious in connection with this 
mysterious affair, I thought best to tell him the truth about 
it, and consequently, gave to the press the items, as they 
had occurred. 

As evening came on, with it also came the crowd in in- 
creased force. Mr. B and Mr. O went out soon 

after dinner, and did not return till after 10 o'clock. 

Early in the evening, friends and acquaintances began 
to call, and of course every one was anxious to know of 
this new wonder. 

While sitting in the parlor engaged in conversation with 
various callers from Oakland and San Francisco, at about 
9 o'clock, we all heard distinct rapping, that appeared as 
though the sills under the dining-room had been struck 
by a heavy sledge-hammer. 

Upon going into that room, we found a Mr. F and 

my daughter, quite excited. They said those heavy raps 

were directly under Mr. F 'sfeet; and on the whole, he 

said he thought he might as well leave for San Francisco, 
but concluded to wait awhile and see the fun. As a mat- 
ter of course, this was interesting to our visitors, however 
annoying it might be to us. During this examination and 
discussion, we had nearly all gone into the dining-room. 
One gentleman remained, and while standing in the hall, 
the large chair at the head of the stairs went whirling 
around in a most mysterious manner, as per evidence of 
the gentleman, and down on its side as the previous eve- 
ning. This evolution was made in full view of the two 
ladies up stairs. 

This renewed the interest of our visitors, and created an 
intense excitement among the crowd outside, who had 
heard the noise made by the falling chair, but made us 
feel very much like the frogs. Visitors, in the meantime 
had increased, and conversation upon the new wonder be- 
came general. While thus engaged, a continuous sound, 
as though proceeding from a silver tea bell in the china 



18 

closet in the dining-room, was heard all over the house. 
The sound continued for a moment after the door was 
opened, but no striking of the hammer was made. 

A few moments after this, an old bell in the kitchen 
rang quite violently. Hardly had we returned from the 
kitchen, when over the balusters was thrown down into 
the hall, two paper boxes; one empty, the other contain- 
ing a lady's hat, a covered willow basket, and a small 
leather bag, which were stored in the hall, making so much 
noise as to be heard outside, making the crowd almost 
furious to get into the house. The basket I laid in the 
hall below, and carried the boxes and bag upstairs, putting 
them on the floor in the hall. Yery soon after this per- 
formance, one of the small reception chairs was thrown 
over the balusters and down stairs, without harm. 

About this time Mr. B and Mr. O came in, and 

were met at the door by Mr. S , who said to them, 

" you are too late for the show." 

While people walked to and fro, not knowing from where 
would come the next development, as quick as a lightning 
flash, which was the character of all the movements, the 
same upholstered chair at the head of the stairs, went re- 
volving in mid air and down, in the presence of Mr. F 

who stood in Mr. B 's door talking to him, and in the 

presence of Miss B who stood in the door of her room 

directly opposite. 

A great rush was made for this point by the friends in 
the house, not even respecting the privacy of the ladies' 

room, where Mrs. F was constantly in bed. This 

chair having been the means of great annoyance to us thus 

far, I placed it in Mr. O 's room where it would be less 

likely to disturb us. The ladies at the time protested, 
saying, " if you do not leave it, who can tell that they 
will not throw the bureau down," referring to a large, old- 
fashioned mahogany bureau with mirror on top, that stood 
in the hall at the head of the stairs close to the wall, and 
close in the corner. I remarked that it was nonsense to 
think that they could make that go dancing about, and so 
put the chair out of the way. Quiet having followed this 
last demonstration, and the house getting nearly full of 
acquaintances also, we were compelled to have some one 
constantly at the door to prevent strangers from entering, 
almost by force, they were so anxious to see these wonders 
in furniture moving, which we hoped continually would 
cease; for this thing of having our yard overrun with the 



19 

Crowd, and our house overflowing with friends on such an 
errand, was to us, to say the least, a great nuisance. 
There however seemed no end, for, while the crowd were 

scattered in parlor, dining-room and hall, Mr. S , who 

was standing at the foot of the stairs, looking directly up 
and at the bureau, saw it begin to jump about, and in an 
instant, fall forward, being caught on the turn of the bal- 
uster, falling so hard, that it indented the mahogany rail 
a quarter of an inch, and jarred the uprights of the balus- 
ters loose in their sockets, making so much noise, that it 
was heard by the hundreds outside, and four persons stand- 
ing in the center of the block opposite. The gentlemen in 
the hall rushed up to right the bureau; but before so do- 
ing, were careful to look for springs or contrivances of any 
kind, by which this could have been done, and found none; 
but did find that this heavy bureau had been moved for- 
ward about one foot, and endwise about one foot, before 
being tipped; also, that notwithstanding the force that 
could indent a mahogany rail, the marble of the bureau 
was not broken; and more remarkable still, the mirror 
upon the top unharmed. 

At this time, five gentlemen well known to me, but I 
could hardly call them acquaintances, came to the door, 
and requested to be admitted with the privilege of remain- 
ing in the house all night. I acceded to their request and 
have their evidence to close the mouths of all vilifiers of 
their neighbors' characters and to justify God's eternal 
truths. At the request of the ladies, I again brought out 
the chair as the lesser evil, and set it at the end of the 
bureau in the hall, where it had previously stood, and 
from whence it had performed its various evolutions. As 
usual, between the acts, quiet in good measure reigned. 

Mr. S , who stood at the foot of the stairs as when the 

bureau moved, and in a few moments, saw this same uphol- 
stered chair going through its accustomed evolutions, but 
this time it started down stairs, end for end, and was 
caught by him. In this descent, by some means, one of 
the legs was broken, being the first harm that had hap- 
pened to any one or anything, save the small, thin, silver 

vase. Soon after this, the chairs in Mr. O 's room 

were heard moving about, and upon examination were 
found lying on the floor in a promiscuous manner. It 
getting late, one by one our friends were leaving, until the 
house seemed again at rest. A number of us were sitting 
in the parlor, among them Mr. O sitting in a large 



20 

Turkish chair reading a newspaper. While thus sitting, 
to the great astonishment of us all, he sprang from the 
chair, landing on the other side of the room, exclaiming, 
" Heavens, that chair was going up with me!" My daugh- 
ter saw the chair rise from the floor before he sprang; I 
saw it immediately after. This was followed by a good 

hearty laugh at Mr. O for his fright; this being the 

first time his English calmness had deserted him ; in fact, 
fear is not a quality of any of that household, including Mrs. 

F , the invalid, and when she did leave it was that she 

might get rest — not from fear. After this, as usual, a free 
discussion of a few moments, followed by a calm. Mr. 

O , thinking that this thing would never end, and that 

he must have rest, retired to his room with the intent of 
remaining for the night. The balance of our friends, save 
those expecting to spend the night, had all left. Myself 
and four of the gentlemen were seated in the parlor; one 
was standing in the hall. Almost imperceptibly to us all, 
the hat-box containing the lady's hats that I had put on 
the floor in the hall above, was silently set directly in the 
parlor door. Again I carried it up stairs, but for safe- 
keeping placed it in a ladies' room . It now being about 
12 o'clock, the crowd outside, well tired of looking at the 
"haunted house" and seeing nothing, had nearly all left. 

Mr. O , feeling somewhat nervous while in his room, 

changed his mind, and concluded he would not retire, but 
again go down stairs and sit awhile longer; so slipped on 
a thick coat, and, as he came from his room, closed his 

door. Mr. B saw him close his door, and asked him 

where he was going. He came down into the parlor 

where we were all sitting, except Mr. P -, who was 

standing in the hall as he testifies : ' ' Looking directly up 
the stair-way, looking, listening, and watching for any 
movement, when, to my utter astonishment, I saw that 
trunk strike the wall, fly past me, and set down at the foot 
of the stairs." At this moment, we in the parlor who were 
facing the door, saw a large body pass. Upon getting in 

the hall, Mr. O exclaimed, "That is my trunk." I 

rushed up stairs, found my daughter and Mr. B look- 
ing down, who asked me what it was that had made that 

noise. I said it is O d's trunk. * '"Nonsense," said 

Mr. B — -, "why his door has not been opened.'' My 
daughter repeated the same words, and said, "Why look 
at the door; it is now closed, and has not been opened 
since Mr. O went downstairs." I said, "I know noth- 






21 

ing about it; I never saw the trunk before, but he says it 
is his trunk." Immediately the trunk was brought up, 

and the door found closed, and Mr. O declared that 

he closed it when he went down but a few moments before. 
The trunk weighed (90 lbs.) ninety pounds, contained one 
glass tube, eighteen inches long by one and one-half 
inches in diameter, a dozen or more small glass tubes, a 
quantity of glass bottles, containing artist's oils, a palette, 
brushes, pictures, papers, &c, and though the trunk 
was well split, not a single thing in the inside was injured. 
In its flight the trunk did not revolve, and was sat down 
at the foot of the stairs the same as it had stood in Mr. 

O 's room. An afghan, that had been spread over the 

trunk, was found spread over the balusters as though it 
had been left by the trunk sliding out from under it. 
After the excitement of this last unexplainable demonstra- 
tion had died away, we assembled in the dining-room as 
headquarters. Some were walking about, but generally a 
season of quiet. This continued for about one hour, 
which being longer than the usual intervals between the 
manifestations, we had made up our minds that there 
would be no more this night, and one by one the chamber 
lodgers had retired to their separate rooms, leaving Mrs. 

C upon the lounge in the dining-room. Col. V — , 

0. T— — , H. P , F. P , and myself, sitting about 

the dining-room. Two of the five thought best to go 
home after the trunk performance. I think they had a 
little trembling about their knees, which caused them to 
start. I learn since that at the eventful moment, that Mr. 

B was nearly if not quite asleep; Mr. O stood with 

his hand on the thumb screw of his lamp, having at that 
instant turned the light out; the ladies were all in a semi- 
sleep — ourselves as above stated, when in an instant the 
whole house was illuminated, as by the flash of a power- 
ful drummond light, and at its hight there came a long, ter- 
rible scream of a female voice, that filled the whole house. 
It appeared to me as the last wail of despair from the re- 
gions of hell itself. Every one of us were on our feet in- 
stantly, and white with horror at the sound of this voice. 
Mention it to this day to any one who heard it, and the 
cold chills creep over their mortal frame. In a moment I 
flew to the ladies' room, and found them in a state of ex- 
citement exceeding our own. My daughter screaming, 
"Oh, that dreadful scream; that horrid face." 



22 

The illumination seemed to have the effect of causing the 
partitions of the whole house to vanish; for to all of us, 
both up stairs and down, the center of light was in the 
hall, and from which center the visible woman was seen, 
and from which center came the scream. 

Though accustomed to this phenomena for three nights ; 
regarding the revolution of a chair, as calmly as the wav- 
ing of a tree in the breeze, our frames trembled, and every 
face was blanched as we saw and heard this phenomenon 
that closed the scene. 

I have made record of the facts. The honest philoso- 
pher that shall investigate and give to the world the cause, 
if within material philosophy, can immortalize himself. 

That the reader may be assured that I was not deluded 
by that phenomena called modern spiritualism, I will give 
an account of my first seance. It was held at my residence 
in the haunted house, Sunday evening the 26th day of 
April, 1874. I returned from San Francisco at 9 o'clock, 
finding my residence surrounded by about five hundred 
people; inside the house, some twenty or thirty. The 
dining-room I found occupied by a Chronicle reporter, who, 
with Mr. and Mrs. Foye, were holding a seance for the pur- 
pose of allowing the spirit world to come and control Mrs. 
Foye, who is a spiritual medium of great note, and explain 
all these wonderful manifestations. After I had assured 
myself that there were police enough on the outside, to 
keep the four or five hundred people from destroying the 
real property, garden, etc., spoke a word or two to the 
twenty or thirty inside, hunted up my wife who I found 
occupying an " upper chamber" (made vacant by the two 
ladies who I had taken to town, and my daughter, who had 
gone to a neighbors), I returned to the dining-room, and 
joined the spiritual circle. 

We sat in a quiet condition until 12 o'clock without the 
least manifestation of spirits to either move the furniture, 
or Mrs. Foye. I then said to Mrs. Foye, that it was a very 
singular phenomenon; that I could always bring spirits, 
and that she could not, and that I still had faith in my 
ability to continue the phenomena. This made their 
eyes brighten. I reme^nbered that there was some choice 
whisky in the closet, and being much exhausted, I stepped 
to the closet, brought out the bottle, some glasses, and a dish 
of cake as a real manifestation of spirits. This was all the 
spirits we saw or heard from at that seance. Justice to Mr. 
and Mrs. Foye demands that I add, that neither touched the 



23 

whisky. But it is no slander to add, that the reporter 
drank enough for all three. It is also justice to add, for 
the honesty of Mrs. Foye as a medium, that though her 
spiritual theory was here put to a public test and failed, 
she proved an honest, true woman and medium, to write 
only as moved by the unseen. 

This account, I prefer, should stand as it came, upon 
the mundane plane, simply as a material fact, accompanied 
by intelligence from the unseen world; and as such, to be 
received as philosophical facts, capable of investigation 
upon the plane of tangible realities. Whether they can be 
solved upon that plane of knowledge, is a question for hon- 
est men to decide. Myself and all the evidence, is ever 
accessible to intelligent, honest inquiry. This is no dark 
seance, no secret, no humbug, no fraud, but eternal truth, 
to stand when all the actors of this day, shall have passed 
on. 



24 



REASON, ARGUMENT, COMPARISON 
AND CONCLUSION. 



The preceding account of this phenomena, under ordi- 
nary circumstances, could be allowed to rest upon my 
word; but as I once allowed myself and friends to be put 
upon trial before judges, who bore a respectable charac- 
ter, holding responsible positions in society, and that 
committee having brought me and mine in guilty of gross 
fraud, it would be unjust to publish to the world so im- 
portant a phenomena as truth, without showing the com- 
mittee to be in error, and establishing the phenomena be- 
yond further dispute. Not only is it important upon the 
one verdict, but, because for three years repeated state- 
ments, like all falsehoods, have gained strength, as they 
have been repeated. 

A celebrated Englishman, traveler and hunter in Africa, 
wrote that "hunting the lion was the grandest of sports; but 
if the lion commenced hunting you, it often became seri- 
ous business to the whole camp." If the trespass of these 
judges upon the moral character of my family, should have 
turned my attention to the general conduct of men pro- 
fessing to be followers of "the meek and lowly Jesus," 
leading me in the investigation of this phenomena to have 
examined the one upon which they and the Church teach 
our immortal welfare rests, and thus lead me by compari- 
son to show them to be the occupants of fairy hopes, with- 
out evidence of a reality, the responsibility of having 
drawn a quiet citizen into the arena of phenomenal facts, 
must rest upon them. Having given a detailed statement 
of each act of the whole phenomena, I shall now give only 
proof enough to satisfy the reader that what I have said, 
was and is true. Having proved that manifestations oc- 
curred, I shall take pains to clearly prove that they oc- 



25 

curred by an unseen, unknown, and, by what this com- 
mittee is pleased to term, a supernatural power; and also 
that the evidence before the committee is indisputable 
upon that very point. Above I have written that myself 
and family were reported to have committed a fraud. I 
am aware that the reply will be that, that is an error, for 
they distinctly charged the manifestations as tricks of my 
guest Mr. B— — . I have committed a great many mean 
acts in my life but none so mean as to allow a friend to 
bear the **" of fraud, which, before I close this, I will 

pro^ . « commit. I, therefore, assume the whole 

responsibility. 

These gentlemen came to my residence endorsed as 
learned, honest, Christian men, and proved themselves 
wholly unworthy to investigate a phenomena, and as a con- 
sequence, the world to-day, so far as they are concerned, 
is in the same superstitious, bigoted condition as in the 
days of Jesus; they have encouraged the same old spirit that 
crucified Him ; filled the old world with a long train of a 
thousand years of imprisonment, banishment and death 
for religious opinion's sake — the same spirit that burned 
and hung witches in our land; the same spirit that, stop- 
ping honest inquiry after truth, extends ignorance, in 
which path iniquity and crime follow as a natural conse- 
quence. 

I do this, not on account of any personal feeling towards 
these three men- -for they are but three men, soon to pass 
on to find written upon their own souls the acts of their 
lives, which, as in a mirror, they will read over and over 
again in the ages of that higher life. While I speak of them 
personally, I shall do so because they have treated this 
phenomena similar to other Christian scientific citizens in 
all parts of the world, and are fit representatives of the 
whole body. Therefore, it is time somebody told them of 
the glass house in which they dwell, and that the grand 
phenomena, in all parts of our world, teaching of an un- 
seen, spiritual, and possibly immortal existence, may be 
proved as a fact, or honestly disproved. The infallibility 
of scientist and priest has recently taken the cremation 
form of disappearance. The evolution theory is as true 
in regard to clergymen as it is in regard to insects. No 
sooner is one loaded down with the old rubbish of heathen 
traditions, than to his Eev. at one end, they attach two 
D's to the other. Upon the same principle that Dar- 



26 

win applies to the evolution of the monkey, acting by re- 
verse rule, he, increasing in intelligence, shortens his tail 
so they retrograding, wallowing in this old, filthy mud- 
hole of persecution and death, add imaginary honors in 
the shape of D. D. It needs no priestly robe, no univer- 
sity parchment, no judicial ermin to scatter their unright- 
eous verdict to the winds. 

The Elder Wesley, at the time his residence was visited 
by scenes similar to this phenomena, thought them to 
have been caused by devils. Among other things, invisi- 
ble beings disturbed small children; to which Wesley re- 
monstrated, saying to the invisibles that they were cow- 
ards, and dared them to disturb the peace of grown per- 
sons, and let the children rest. He then assembled his 
household and sat for manifestations. None came. He 
then said, with the nobleness of an honest man, trusting 
himself in the hands of his heavenly Father, "Leave me 
alone, and then I will dare these devils; two Christians are 
too many for any devil." Like Wesley, I have declared 
these manifestations truths, and now shall sit alone for 
the appearance of his satanic Majesty, or any of his imps. 
The manifestations came in the middle of the night — 
came upon a quiet family living in the suburbs of the 
town; came with no spectators; came upon a sleeping 
people and invalids, and went as they came, in the middle 
of the night. 

The evidence, given at the solicitation of respectable 
citizens, was obtained only by the agreement that names 
should not be made public; for every member of the fami- 
ly was already disgusted with the notoriety, and only in 
the interest of science did we consent to the tax upon our 
time, and the expense made. The gentlemen selected to 
make examination, and take the evidence that could be 
obtained for the purpose of establishing the presence of a 
power not known in physical sciences, consisted of the 
Rev. J. K. McLean, pastor of the First Congregational 
Church of Oakland, Joseph Le Count, Professor at the 
University of California, and W. W. Crane, Esq. 

The positions of these gentlemen seemed to guarantee 
an honest examination, and a truthful verdict; but when 
this verdict, "We find the evidence insufficient to indicate 
the action or presence of any supernatural, or of any oc- 
cult natural agency whatever," was rendered, Jesus Christ 
was not more surprised when Pilate said, ' 'I find no fault 



27 

in this man," and yet ordered him to the crucifixion, than 
we and the intelligent people of Oakland were on receipt 
of this " Bunsby" verdict. 

The witnesses were twenty in number, composed of 
gentlemen holding the highest offices of trust, foreign con- 
suls, doctors of divinity, lawyers, bankers, merchants, and 
ladies professing and living the Christian religion. 

Every demonstration recorded in this volume was 
proved to the entire satisfaction of the men sitting as 
judges. Each witness went before them alone, and told 
the story, submitting to as much cross-questioning as in 
the hardest contested case in court, and with no opposing 
counsel, until the reporter's volume reached the enormous 
amount of three hundred and twenty pages; to which the 
committee added forty pages of summary, endeavoring to 
show that Mr. B was the cause of all the manifesta- 
tions, instead of attempting to arrive at simple truth. 

I shall select only a few cases for examination and con- 
fine m} r self almost entirely to the evidence of persons non- 
resident of my family. To prove that they did receive 
' 'evidence of a supernatural or occult force," I will first 
give what they call a note from their summary. "Note, 
It is proper to say that this occurrence of the door seems 
to be utterly at variance with any theory of occult natural 
forces, as electricity or anything of that kind, and to 
clearly demonstrate that the motive force was an intelli- 
gent force, either "natural or supernatural. The evidence is 
strong to the point that the door had been bolted with an inside 
bolt, and that when the door was found, was pushed out. It 
moves too tight in its sockets to admit of the supposition that 
the jar of the falling door could have pushed it out." If ever 
words were more carefully written, and dovetailed to es- 
tablish a fact with carefulness, cool deliberation than 
these, I never read them. This statement of the case is 
made by a Rev., a professor, and a christian lawyer, after 
having heard the evidence, in regard to it, of six persons 
of mature years and of good standing in the community; 
and then they sign their names to this, "We find 
no evidence of a supernatural or of any occult natural 
agency whatever," and after this these gentlemen assure 
me in the most Christian spirit that they exonerate Mr. 

O d, the ladies and all my family, and at the same 

time knew that Mr. B was absent during many of 

the manifestations, as I will prove before I close. In 



28 

other words, they reject the evidence of reliable persons 
as worthless, that they were putting me to great expense 
to obtain and make a mock trial, similar to Pilate's, when 
Jesus was before him, and call themselves Christians. 

"We will now investigate the evidence which was given 

in regard to the raising of Mr. O d while sitting in a 

large upholstered chair in the parlor in the presence of 
Mrs. Clarke, my daughter and myself. First for the pur- 
pose of showing the truth of a manifestation by an un- 
known, invisible power; second, for the purpose of show- 
ing that while these gentlemen admit the fact of every 
demonstration described — then charge them as tricks of 

legerdemain by Mr. B but to have occurred when he 

was not present. Let us hear the testimony of Mr. O d 

in regard to the chair and himself rising: "It must have 
been 11 o'clock when I came in; I sat down to read the 
Evening Post. While sitting thus, a very curious sensa- 
tion came over me, and I made a spring from the chair. 
Miss Clarke rose at the same time, exclaiming ' that chair 
rose with youf It seemed to me that the fore-legs rose as 
I rose. I was holding the paper in both hands." In an- 
swer to questions, he said, "The peculiar sensation that 
came over me seemed something like a suspension of 
vitality of the lower portion of the body. I arose sudden- 
ly, and made a spring into the middle of the room. In 
rising, I did nothing to raise the chair. It was a chair 
with sloping arms. Miss Clarke was not much excited. 
She said very coolly and very decidedly that the chair fol- 
lowed me in rising. I was sitting on one side of the table 
that stood between the window, and Mrs. Clarke was on 
the other." This is the evidence of an English gentle- 
man of honor and truthfulness wherever known. 

Let us hear what Miss Clarke said about this demonstra- 
tion. " While Mr. O was sitting in one of the large 

upholstered chairs, it rose off the floor. I was sitting op- 
posite, looking directly at him. I am positive I saw the 
chair rise from the floor, when instantly he jumped; then 
the chair went down. I was sitting clear across the room, 
some ten or twelve feet." This young lady is over eight- 
een years of age, and supposed to be of a sound mind. 

Mrs. Clarke was sitting where Mr. d testifies she was, 

and hence could not have seen the chair rise, and so testi- 
fied. I was lying upon the sofa, saw the chair rise and 
Mr. d jump, at whose fright I had a hearty laugh . 



29 

As this one chair demonstration clinches that committee 
beyond redemption, let us examine a witness who came 

into the parlor door, just as Mr. O d struck the floor, 

that forever we may silence the imputation that Mr. B 

was the magician of my household. This gentleman is a 
foreign consul and highly respected. Let us hear what 
he says in regard to the chair. " After that operation we 

went into the parlor, where Mr. O said, that a chair 

in which he was sitting gave a jump. He said it certainly 
did move, and he was not going to sit in it any more." I 
have selected this demonstration to show that it happened in 
a fully illuminated room, in the presence of four persons ; 

also, that it was a demonstration while Mr. B was not 

in the room. 

Having heard one side of the testimony, let us hear what 
these three honorable gentlemen say in their summary. 

" Miss Clarke testifies that she saw the chair in the act 
of rising." There is, however, a discrepancy of statement 

as to where she was sitting. Mr. O d's recollection is, 

that she sat upon the other side of a little table from him, 
facing the same way he was. 

Mrs. Clarke and Mr. S who were present, testify 

"that they did not see the movement, and the latter is posi- 
tive that no remark was made at the time about the chair hav- 
ing risen. " 

In these few lines is a fair sample of the whole forty 
pages of summa.y. First. An admission of my daughter's 
testimony, and then an attempt to prove her a liar. Sec- 
ond. To give Mr. O 's opinion where she sat, when he 

positively stated that Mrs. Clarke sat at the table oppo- 
site him. Thirdly. After hearing Mr. S 's testimony 

in regard to the chair, saying he came into the room when 
they were talking of a chair having risen, they say he was 
in the room at the time, "and is positive that no remark 
was made at the time, about the chair having risen." This 
is a review of evidence by a reverend, a scientist, and a 
professed lawyer, all devout, professed christians, in an 
examination regarding a phenonena, whicn from their 
standpoint was a miraculous dispensation direct from God 
the Almighty. Comment is unnecessary, for the like re- 
view would be a disgrace to the meanest shyster that ever 
entered a criminal court. That this phenomena may be 
put upon so solid a basis, that the corroding hand of time 
may never efface it, let us review the evidence of a chris- 



30 

tian clergyman who came as of old, they went out to be- 
hold the miracles of Jesus. He says, " 1 came Saturday 
night about 9 o'clock, and remained about half an hour." 
While he was present, loud rappings were heard under the 
dining-room floor; bells ringing in the china closet, and 
the revolving of a chair. As he was the only gentleman 
who saw the chair, let us hear him. 

" It came over the balusters feet foremost. It did not 
come as though it was thrown . It did not move after it 
struck. I picked it up. It stopped when it fell. I no- 
ticed the peculiar motion, and its not obeying the ordinary 
law of projectiles. It struck me as very curious, that the 
chair should have stopped where first it struck." I intro- 
duce this evidence as it forever silences the insinuation 
and the charge to me, that the demonstrations were the 

tricks of our worthy friend Mr. B . Here the doctor 

testifies, that he came to my house at 9 o'clock, remained 
about half an hour, and yet saw demonstrations. Follow- 
ing this, Mr. S testifies that he opened the door and 

let in Mr. B , between 10 o'clock and 11 o'clock, and 

made this remark: " George (B ), you are too late for 

the show." He also testifies to letting Mr. O in about 

the same time, which corroborates Mr. O d's testimony 

in regard to the chair. Further, the committee asked Mr. 

S , "Did you state that Mr. B and Mr. O 

came in, after the first chair came down stairs ?" Answer 

of Mr. S , "Yes, sir." Here again demonstrations are 

proved to have occurred after the doctor left, and before 

Mr. B and Mr. O came in, for the doctor did not 

see a chair come down stairs at all. 

I could continue this review of the whole three hundred 
pages of evidence, and the forty pages of summary, showing 
inconsistencies from beginning to end, that are unworthy 
any citizen ; but having from their own words proved them 
to have ignored testimony, of having misrepresented other 
evidence, and to have charged an honorable citizen with 
perpetrating tricks upon the family of a friend; of having 
trifled with a phenomena of the unseen world, it seems to 
me a waste of brain, paper, ink, and the precious time of 
the reader, to follow this investigation further. But the 
importance of the phenomena seems to demand the truth. 
I therefore will introduce the evidence of two strangers. 

I would gladly have passed the verdict of these three 
men in silence; but as they assumed the position of judges 



31 

between a phenomena, occult forces, God, myself and 
family, it becomes my duty to establish what my friends 
and I have published to the world as truths. That I may 
do this beyond the possibility of doubt, I will trespass up- 
on the reader's time, to quote as briefly as possible from 

the evidence of Mr. 0. T. H. P , one of the gentlemen 

admitted Saturday night, that he might investigate at his 
pleasure. This gentleman, it might be well to say, for 
the benefit of people outside of Oakland, is a graduate, a 
thorough scholar and close reasoner, a man of property, and 
one of the best of citizens. He spent the entire night, and 
had the kindness to write his testimony in full, which testi- 
mony he brought to the committee, and allowed them to read 
and cross-question. The total is from pages 299 to 319, or 
twenty pages of legal cap. He says, " Just before our ad- 
mission, which was about 10 o'clock, we heard a heavy noise 
inside the house, and on entering, found quite a crowd of 
people gathered round the bureau at the head of the stairs, 
which had just been righted from its fall." In another 
place he writes, " I took for point of observation just in the 
parlor door-way, at the foot of the stairs. Suddenly, with- 
out any premonitory sound whatever, that I could hear, 
and to my strained attention, out of a dead stillness, a 
large trunk shot down the stair-way, striking the wall and 
rebounding to the balustrade, breaking out a baluster; 
then stopping at the foot of the stairs. As I was looking 
up the stairway at the time, I saw it before it struck the wall, 

and noticed its peculiar motion. Mr. O exclaimed 

that it was his, and that he had just before left it in his 
room with the doors closed. I rushed up stairs, and saw 
that his door was closed. Lifting one end of it, 1 judged 
its weight 80 to 100 lbs." 

"From the point where I stood, almost touching the 
stairs, and seeing their whole course, watching every second 
for sight or noise, I do not think it likely that any one 
could, without my hearing some sound, have opened 
O d's door and come out with that heavy trunk weight- 
ing his steps, and closed the door." 

"I call your attention to one point, possibly bearing 

upon the case. The trunk naturally stood in O d's 

room with its back to the wall of the house, the locked 
side fronting as it now did us, and as I saw, it did not re- 
volve in its downward flight ." These are the words of a 
gentleman entering my residence — a stranger— for the pur- 



32 

pose of satisfying his own curiosity, and who believed the 
whole thing a fraud, until he saw, heard and felt. It is 
his own free act in proof of a phenomena, he sat all night 
to witness, and yet there is no evidence of " supernatural, 
or any occult agency whatever." In regard to the scream, 
this gentleman writing his testimony says, "The others 
sat around the dining table; I passed up and down the 
room. Suddenly we heard a short but unmistakable 
scream. It penetrated the house, and startled us more by 
its quality, than by its quantity. To me, it seemed to 
come from a woman, and to be a scream of mingled rage 
and fear. All of us in that room, located it in the hall 
near the foot of the stairs, hardly a dozen feet from where 
I v,as walking at the time. I can only add, that it was a 
highly unnatural sound, and resembled nothing that I ever 
heard." And yet say our committee, there is " no evidence 
of a supernatural or occult agency whatever. 7 ' 

Gen. Y — , a stranger to me, admitted with, and at the 
time, and for the same purpose as Mr. P — , ermumerates 
in detail, the same facts. I will only quote one- word in 
regard to the scream; he says "it was a wild scream, or 
shriek, in a kind of defiance. We were right in it. It 
was right around us. I said 'Good Heavens, that lets me 
out.' " Here is a word from the evidence of a gentleman 
who has heard the Indian's war whoop amid the shout 
of battle. A gentleman who this day holds the highest 
military office of the State of California, and yet our three 
honest Eev., scientific, legal gentleman did not have "any 
evidence of a supernatural or occult agency whatever." 
These gentleman believe that Balaam's ass spoke; that 
Sampson killed a thousand warriors with the jaw bone of 
an ass — perhaps it was the same one that was used to 
speak with while living — believe that Sampson made a 
bet of thirty suits of clothes — that his riddle could not be 
solved, and that when he lost that, the pure and holy God 
they worshipped helped him to pay the bet by murdering 
thirty men, taking their clothes for this purpose. Well 
may it be said that there is honor among gamblers. They 
believe and teach that a temple so grand that three thou- 
sand people could walk its roof, was supported by two 
piilars so small that Sampson could reach around each, 
and thus caused the death of thousands to please a blind 
man; believe that Sampson, alone in an enemy's country 
cultivated too vines and olives, caught three hundred foxes, 



33 

alone tied them tail to tail with a fire-brand between; 
believe that Jeptha sacrificed his daughter, for which he 
received the blessing of the Lord; that God instituted hu- 
man slavery. These men believe that although Jessee said 
unto his little boy David, "run to the camp to thy breth- 
ren" and that Eliab, his elder brother, said when he saw 
him "with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wil- 
derness" that he came in a carriage, 1st Samuel, 17 chapter, 
22 verse, to bring the bread and cheese. High toned for a 
sh epherd boy with a few sheep in a wilderness. Believe that 
David, a traitor, robber and murderer, was a man after God's 
own heart; that in a country without minerals or com- 
merce, less in size than the State of Connecticut, that 
David left Solomon six billions of gold and silver, more 
money than all the nations of earth have this day — This 
money existed before ships went to the land of Ophir. 
They believe that Solomon living in one corner of Judea, 
the whole of which is not as large as the State of Massachu- 
setts, supported one thousand wives, twelve thousand 
horsemen, forty thousand horses, a population of twelve 
millions of people and their increase for over five hun- 
dred years, upon less land than the over-crowded State of 
Connecticut, with its four hundred thousand. These facts 
are easily arrived at, three millions left Egyj^t, they 
double in twenty years, again double the next twenty, 
hence twelve millions entered Caanan under Joshua, the 
great miracle performer, five hundred years before Solo- 
mon's day, when his Egyptian father-in-law came over 
and conquered twenty cities from the Philistines and made 
them a present unto his daughter, Solomon's wife. The 
record does not say which wife, or that he did not con- 
quer and give twenty cities to each of Solomon's wives. If 
it did, our good Christian committee would believe it not- 
withstanding the geographical dimensions of Judea, for 
with their God all things are possible, save to make men 
honest. These men believe that the world was made in six 
days, and that the sun and moon were made to be the lights 
thereof; believe that their God showed perfect wisdom 
when his first man and woman became sinners, and their 
first son a murderer. They do not believe in modern 
spiritualism, but they do believe that three "men materi- 
alized and ate a sumptuous meal of cakes, and a tender 
calf dressed with butter and milk" in Abraham's day; they 
believe in psychological phenomena when recorded in 



34 

their sacred book, and teach men of the glorious old Jacob, 
who by "ringstreaked poles'' swindled his father-in-law, 
Laban, of his flocks and herds, saying, "so shall my right- 
eousness answer for me in time to come", and his sweet 
wives who stole Laban's gods when they left, and fooled 
the old man with these pretty words of Rachel's, "Let 
it not displease my lord that I cannotrise up before thee." 
These men believe that God destroyed all the vegetables, 
all the fish, all the cattle in all the land of Egypt, and 
took his three millions of chosen people out as a band of 
thieves, borrowing jewelry they never expected to return ; 
and never think far enough to ask how did the millions of 
Egyptians live, after the Israelites left, or where did 
Pharaoh obtain food for his army of three hundred thou- 
sand men and horses, with which he followed after the 
Israelites; they believe and teach that these three millions, 
with cattle and herds that must have stretched over one 
hundred miles, all crossed the Red Sea, a distance of 
twenty-two miles, in one night, and that in time for Phar- 
aoh's whole three hundred thousand, themselves stretch- 
ing fifty miles, the advance guard over one hundred miles 
distant (for of course behind the Jews) all made forced 
marches in time to be drowned. They believe that these 
people lived forty years upon "manna and quails." They 
believe and teach that Joshua commanded the sun and 
moon to stand still, and that they obeyed; they believe 
spiritual mediums — in our day, frauds — but they believe 
Saul went to the woman of Endor and there received a 
message from Samuel that proved true; they believe that 
the materialization of spirits in our day is a delusion and 
fraud, and yet they believe in the real resurrection of the 
physical body of Jesus, and also of others in Judea, with- 
out one particle of evidence, as per the record itself; 
Mathew 27th, chapter 62d to 64th verse, inclusive: "Now, the 
next day of the preparation, the chief priest and Pharisees 
came together unto Pilate, saying," sir: we remember that 
that deceiver said while he was yet alive, 'after three days I 
will rise again'. Command therefore that the sepulchre be 
made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by 
night, and steal him away, and say unto the people he is 
risen from the dead; so the last error shall be worse than 
the first." 

The reader will perceive that it was not until the next day 
when these Pharisees went unto Pilate for a guard. They 



35 

will also remember that the body was given to Joseph, 
a friend of Jesus, who, and the disciples, if they had 
thought to remove the body, would most certainly have 
done it the first night, from sanitary motives. 

Therefore, the .test conditions, and the faithfulness of 
Roman soldiers, so long glorified, all goes for naught, 
when the investigator asks for facts, and that according 
to the record of the witness himself. As these men and a 
few others, have taught so long of this wonderful phenom- 
na, and surrounded it with divine authority, allows us to 
ask if this was the real body of Jesus, why did Mary 
Magdalene not recognize him ? Why did the disciples that 
walked by the way not know their friend, not been gone 
forty-eight hours to the other world ? How did he enter 
the upper chamber, the doors being closed — and what be- 
came of the real body when he ascended on high ? 

These men believe and teach, that the devil called upon 
God for a morning visit, and that the book of Job was di- 
vinely inspired; and yet the whole church acknowledge 
that they do not know in what language or age, or by 
whom it was written. 

They teach that David, the man after God's own heart, 
was the amanuensis of the divine mind, for the writing of 
the book of Psalms; and yet the Rev. Roswell D. Hitch- 
cock, D. D., bible commentator, writes, that some were writ- 
ten by Moses, others at the building of the walls of Jeru- 
salem in Nehemiah's time. Some are credited to Solomon; 
and of seventy-seven anonymous ones, he saye: " Further 
conjectures about the writers are entirely useless. 7 ' In 
other words, they do not know where the Psalms came 
from, and yet teach men, that they are the " divine holy 
word of the eternal God." These men know that the 
present New Testament is a selection made from over 
three hundred gospels, written by various followers of 
Jesus during the first three hundred years of the christian 
era. 

These men do not believe that a man can descend from 
heaven and materialize so as to be recognized; yet they 
teach that Moses and Elias did. 

They also teach that the book of Revelations was given 
to St. John by one of the prophets, for he said, ' ' I am 
of thy fellow servants, the prophets," and forbid St. John 
to worship him. 

They teach us a physical resurrection of Jesus and the 
impossibility of materialization and dematerialization by 



36 

the spirit, and yet know that if Jesus ever was at all, that 
he did do both. 

These men deny the facts of modern phenomena with a 
sanctimoniousness becoming the Pharisees of Jesus' times, 
and thus acknowledge the bible to be a fraud, while the 
angel world and spiritualists are endevoring to prove that 
all in it that is good came from heaven; and that the here- 
after of which it teaches, when divested of superstitious 
folly, is a solemn, glorious, and eternal truth. 

In fact these men believe and teach anything under 
heaven or on earth, it matters not how unreasonable, im- 
possible, or inconsistent, because somebody a long time 
ago wrote it and declared it to be God's holy word. I 
have placed in this phenomena a brief synopsis of some few 
of the phenomena of their sacred book, which they teach 
as of divine authority in contrast with a phenomena, of 
which they have received indisputable evidence that men 
women and children with immortal souls, may see that it 
is not the religion of Jesus, that these men teach. 

If there is a life beyond this, it must be proved by liv- 
ing, tangible, intelligent, spiritual presences, manifesting 
themselves to our intellectual and physical perceptions. 
The errors, impossibilities, infamous attributes, and acts 
of God, written in the bible, prevent its acceptance as au- 
thority by any intelligent man. The conflicting testimony 
of the four gospels in regard to the resurrection of Jesus, 
is of such a character as to be rejected in any court. In 
Matthew, the two Marys saw at the tomb," The angel of 
the Lord descend from heaven and came and eolled back 
the stone and sat upon it." In Mark, "And when they 
looked they saw the stone was eolled away, and entering 
into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right 
side" In Luke, "And they entered in (to the sepulchre) 
and found not the body of the Lord Jesus — and it came to 
pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold two 
men. stood by them in shining garments." In John, Mary 
Magdalene went alone to the sepulchre — found the stone 
rolled away; saw neither Jesus' angel — young men, or two 
men — and ran to tell the disciples, who many of them, then 
came, but saw neither angels, one or two men, or Jesus, 
and "went away again unto their own home." "Mary, 
stood without at the sepulchre weeping," and as she wept 
she stooped down and looked into the sepulchre seeth two 
angels in white, sitting, the one at the head and the other at 



37 

the feet where the body of Jesus had lain." Here is an ac- 
count upon which untold millions have rested their im- 
mortal salvation. A Constantine has deludged his country 
in persecution. For a thousand years, imprisonments, 
tortures, banishments and death have cursed a continent. 
A Calvin has burned his enemy at the stake — this day hun- 
dreds of sects persecute each other — Saturday, a holy day 
to some, Sunday to another; all resting upon evidence with 
so many vital defects, that a case like it in any court in 
America for the amount of ten dollars, will be at once per- 
emptorily dismissed. And yet men clad in priestly robes, 
worshippers of a mythical God, can sit in solemn court 
with their neighbors and friends, cross-question with all 
the legal, religious and scientific powers they possess, and 
at every point establish a phenomena that revolutionizes all 
philosophical knowledge ; renders certain intelligence in an 
invisible world, of which the Kev. J. K. McLean said, as 
his last words in my parlor," This is a mystery past find- 
ing out," and in six weeks from that day wrote his name 
to this: "We find the evidence insufficient to indicate 
the action or presence of any supernatural, or of any oc- 
cult natural agency whatever." He continues to stand 
before men, women and children with immortal souls, as 
a follower of Jesus. Of him and his two friends, I care no 
more than Job did for his three comforters, and only men- 
tion them of a necessity in the furtherance of an eternal 
truth, which in our days is given to men, that the soul is 
like all else of nature, imperishable — a matter of seed and 
growth, as much as a tree; and that its development here, 
is of the heart's desire accompanied by suitable works, and 
that the same law will hold throughout eternity. The 
missionaries, working in the field of this phenomena, are 
in number what Abraham's seed were to be. They work 
without weariness, expense, or reward. They are edu- 
cated in every language, that is, or ever was upon earth. 
To them the soul is an open book. The prayers made with 
polished sentences, to fall gently upon the audiences' ear 
isrecorded for the utterer to answer when he shall pass to 
the spirit life. 

There is no folly, so great as his, who thinks that he 
will escape the account of his earthly deeds. 

The soul is but a natural matter of growth from a germ, 
like all else in nature. If it is made of envy, malice, 
avariciousness, licentiousness, or hypocracy, when the 



38 

physical is put off there it will stand just what we made 
it, as much as a house that the carpenters have builded for 
us. If the heart has been a fountain of love, kindness, 
truthfulness, honesty, and justice, then it is what we have 
made it; fit companion for beatified spirits, long in the 
progression of spiritual life, who can and who will ap- 
proach, and bear us away, amid the anthems of angelic 
bands, to realms more beautiful than St. John's city, with 
walls of precious stones, gates of pearl, and golden 
streets. Millions of priests of all theories, that bind 
men's souls to certain routines for reaching the heavenly 
world, rejecting opportunities of advancing knowledge 
from day to day, closing their eyes and ears to phenomena 
of the angelic world, ignoranriy teaching that which leads 
to ages of sorrow upon sorrow in the spirit life; little real- 
ize the hell that will be theirs, as thousands upon thou- 
sands shall say to them: "I am in darkness and sorrow be- 
cause you taught me wrongfully of myself and my God." 
Blood wash the soul clean ? You might as well take it to 
wash down the stalwart oak, that through hundreds of 
years has braved the storm, as to change by it the heart 
of man. At best it is but polished heathenism, using 
man's blood instead of bull's. Its very conception is a 
license to iniquity, because it holds out to wicked men the 
means of escape from justice. "Thou shalt love the Lord 
thy God with all thy heart, and thy neighbor as thyself." 
On these two commandments hang all the law and the 
prophets. "Except your righteousness shall exceed the 
righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no 
case enter into the kingdom of heaven." ''For verily I 
say unto you, until heaven and earth pass, one jot or one 
tittle, shall in no wise pass from the law, until all be ful- 
filled ?" The same teachings are still coming upon thou- 
sands of telegraphic wires from the once unseen, and who 
now occasionally walk our old material earth, as in Jesus' 
days, telling us the law of life is still inevitable. Miracles 
are not of God, but simply the foolishness of men. He, 
who holds millions of worlds at his command, is too great, 
too perfect to ever have erred, too just to ever show a 
favor. To Him the tree and the man stand as equal, ever 
receiving justice, and growing unto perfection, according 
to the surroundings of the original germ. He who fills all 
worlds, and all we call space, can never change; and we 
who, by his infinite law, have become individual beings, 



39 



never can see Him no more than the fish can see the ocean, 
or the bird the air; "for in Him we live, and move, and 
have our being." A personal God — a judgment seat — 
where can it or He be ? Forty-five thousand souls, from 
this little earth, go on to the judgment, day by day. Mil- 
lions of worlds floating in that we call space, and sending 
each its thousands, day by day, to the same judgment 
seat. "Where, again, I ask, is that world to receive them 
all? How investigate such poor, sin-sorrowing soul's life, 
and how divide the righteous from the wicked? 

It is well to use our reasons, and calmly ask for knowl- 
edge, using the phenomena, and facts of life whereby to 
learn of our own, and our God's nature; instead of ignor- 
antly and superstitiously receiving heathen nonsense, 
men's wise and foolish sayings combined, as God's infalli- 
ble worth and authority. In conclusion, this sermon may 
be credited to the Oakland Committee, whom God in our 
day, has done as of old unto Pharaoh, when He hardened 
his heart, that men might see His glory, and be made 
thus to praise Him. 



THE 



OAjLLA.ND wHObl 



AND 



ANCIENT PHENOMENA, 

WITH A REVIEW OF THE 

OAKLAND COMMITTEE, 

BY 

THOMAS BROWNELL^CLARKE, 

SAN FRANCISCO, CAL. 



PRICE, TWENTY-FIVE CENTS. 



SOS 



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